Those who take stream flow measurements and monitor the state’s river gauges are playing catch-up following this year’s flooding. Jon Nania, with the United States Geological Survey Iowa Water Science Center, says the state has 180 river gauges that are inspected for accuracy every six weeks. The gauges constantly monitor river heights and relay that information hourly to the USGS, National Weather Service and Army Corps of Engineers at Coralville Lake.

He shares that during this year’s flooding they worked late nights, weekends, and on the fourth of July, measuring stream flows to ensure the National Weather Service and Army Corps of Engineers had the most accurate information for their forecasts.

He says they’re now attending to duties that had to be put off during the flooding.